Ever found yourself in a sticky situation with a colleague? Of course you have! Because we all have different beliefs, principles, and work ethics, it's perfectly normal for tensions to arise between ourselves and people we just don't see eye to eye with. But since this is the workplace, we have to remain professional and mature when it comes to such incidents.
Be the better woman by heeding these simple tips for handling difficult coworkers with grace.
1. Distance yourself from the person. If you must interact with the offending party, do so via e-mail or SMS. Keep interactions short and purely work-related.
2. Acknowledge your flaws. Don't put all the blame on your colleague. Understand that you may be at fault too.
3. Change your perspective. Instead of dwelling on the rift between the two of you, tell yourself that you won't let your colleague affect your performance.
4. Try to look at your coworker in a new light. Instead of focusing on the things that bother you about the other person, focus on his or her strengths.
5. Prepare a battle plan. If the two of you have to work in the same project, be clear early on about each other's roles in the task at hand.
6. Engage in dialogue. Confront the other person, but be mature about it. Be extra careful about coming off as offensive.
7. Inform your superior or HR. If the issue still can't be resolved, don't hesitate to seek advice from your boss or human resources.
For more on these tips, read the full article, "How to handle difficult coworkers," by Tisha Alvarez Angluben.
(Photo by *clairity* via Flickr Creative Commons.)
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